Boston Celtics Should Have Made Play for Royce White

By Rob Lunder

Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics have had a crazy offseason thus far and have made a number of franchise-altering moves over the past couple of weeks.

One under the radar move the team should have made, though, was acquiring disgruntled Houston Rockets forward Royce White before he was eventually traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a cost-cutting move. The only reason the Rockets were trading White in the first place was to create even more cap room to sign free agent Dwight Howard.

The Celtics missed out on an opportunity to acquire a cheap, affordable young player with tons of upside if he can overcome a number of personal problems that have plagued him throughout his basketball career.

White is certainly no easy customer. He has a unique bipolar disorder that has altered his personality. He has an extreme fear of flying and is certainly not an easy player to manage. He barely played for the Rockets last season and really no one knows what his future will hold.

However, it was still a wise move by the 76ers to buy low on him. This was a move Celtics GM Danny Ainge should have explored in greater detail. The Celtics have a need for cheap players who are young and who hold a great deal of upside. If everything clicks for White, he could be a really good player in this league. You can obviously put that label on virtually anyone, but there is no denying White’s immense talent.

White would have been a great option for the Celtics and that the team didn’t throw their hat into the ring is a missed opportunity.